What is samurai sudoku?

A samurai sudoku is made of five standard 9×9 sudoku grids: one in the centre and four in the corners. Each corner grid overlaps the centre grid by one 3×3 box, so those nine shared cells have to satisfy the rules of two grids at the same time. Laid out together, the five grids form the familiar 21×21 samurai shape.

The rules do not change. Every row, every column and every 3×3 box within each of the five grids must contain the digits 1 to 9 exactly once. What changes is the scale: a samurai sudoku puzzle has 369 cells instead of 81, and the overlaps mean progress in one grid immediately unlocks moves in another.

How to solve samurai sudoku

Because the corner grids only touch the centre, a samurai sudoku is really five puzzles that keep passing information back and forth. Solvers who are comfortable with a hard 9×9 usually find a medium samurai a very satisfying step up.

• Start in the overlaps: the four shared 3×3 boxes are constrained by two grids at once, so they usually give up digits first.
• Work one grid at a time: treat the grid you are in as an ordinary sudoku and use scanning and single-candidate logic.
• Hop when you stall: whenever a shared box gains a digit, switch to the neighbouring grid and see what that unlocks.
• Pencil lightly: candidate notes matter more here than in a single grid, so print one puzzle per page and use a sharp pencil.

Difficulty levels and clue counts

• Easy: around 155 clues across the figure — plenty of scanning moves and a gentle introduction.
• Medium: around 133 clues, the classic newspaper-style samurai sudoku puzzle.
• Hard: around 118 clues, where the shared boxes really start doing the work.
• Expert: around 107 clues for a long sitting — expect an hour or more.

Printing tips for samurai sudoku

• Print one samurai puzzle per page — the 21×21 figure needs the room.
• A4 and US Letter both work; set your printer to fit-to-page and no margins scaling.
• Pick a clean sans-serif font so the small digits stay readable at full size.
• Keep answer keys switched on if you are making a samurai sudoku book or a classroom set.

Is samurai sudoku harder than regular sudoku?

It takes longer, but it is not necessarily harder logic. The overlapping boxes give you extra information, so an easy samurai sudoku is very approachable — it simply has five grids to finish instead of one.

How many grids are in a samurai sudoku?

Five 9×9 grids: one centre grid plus four corner grids, each sharing a single 3×3 box with the centre. Together they cover 369 cells on a 21×21 field.

Are these samurai sudoku puzzles free to print?

Yes. Every puzzle you generate here is free to print and use at home, in a classroom, or in a puzzle group. They are for personal and educational use, not for resale.

Does each puzzle have only one solution?

Yes. Each clue is removed only when the whole samurai figure still has exactly one valid answer, so you never have to guess.

Can I make a samurai sudoku book?

Generate up to six puzzles at a time, download the PDF with answer keys, and repeat with a new set to build a longer book of samurai sudoku puzzles.